Depends on the contract that the company has with the recruiter... some companies are prohibited from hiring you directly for 6-12 months after the fact unless the recruiter gets their cut as well regardless of what you or the company do.

I once cut a recruiter out of things. A friend of mine was finishing her contract, just as I needed a position - so I called her boss directly. Meanwhile a recruiter I was working with also connected me with the job (not knowing that I was already applying).

Anyway, the recruiter got cut out of the deal. I think I've screwed him in particular a few times, too. He works a lot in my area, and I have a finger on the hagwon pulse here and help people leave jobs and start new ones. Then again, he still calls me to see if I know anyone looking for work, so he can't be too pissed off.